Text 20339, 49 rader
Skriven 2005-12-29 10:40:14 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
     Kommentar till en text av Dan Ceppa
Ärende: Re: Lack of Gratitude
=============================
> WD> Imo Hitler did "not" have the necessary fleet-units to support a
> WD> landing. These are the 1940 numbers (Graf Spee had already been lost,
> WD> so he isn't included in the numbers). Technically it's "Battleships 0"
 
> He didn't need those capital ships.  He had for much of the
> war superior air cover.
 
In Normandy there was 100% Allied air-superiority. Do you want me nevertheless
to draw up the list of battleships, cruisers and destroyers that were present
during any of the Allied landings, especially Normandy? They were badly needed
for shore shelling and for targets inland up to 25km from the beachhead.
 
Without floating supporting heavy armament, a landing of troops at a fortified
and/or heavily defended beachhead is impossible.
 
Nazi Germany lost its superiority in the air 'over England' on October 30th
1940 ... that is very early in the hostilities at the western front.
 
And surely, you're not saying that the Luftwaffe was superior over the USAF in
Europe, are you?
 
> The English Navy avoided the Channel named after their country.
 
A small anecdote ... overhere we actually call it "Het nauw van Calais", in
English "The Narrows of Calais" ... in French "Pas de Calais" ... there's
nothing English about that. Only the Brits call it the "English Channel".
 
Apart from the single suicidal breakthrough of Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and
supporting vessels the Nazis also refrained from going through the Channel. As
a matter of fact, their prized battlecruiser Gneisenau ran on a mine during
that feat and limped back home for repairs never to see action again. The
commander was Günter Lütjens who went on to command Bismarck on its fatefull
voyage ... he singlehandedly lost 2 of the 4 heavy armoured German surface
units.
 
After the Scharnhorst-Gneisenau breakthrough heavy long-range guns were
installed on both sides of the sea-passage and this deterred any large unit
from even trying. Going at night was suicide because of the heavily mined areas
and no navigational beacons.
 
More than you asked for without asking, but at least someone hopefully finds
this usefull.
 
Take care,
 
 \%/@rd

--- IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA
 * Origin: "Leonard will be free" - http://www.leonardpeltier.org (2:292/854)